Mountain Lions, especially adult, resident lions (those with established territory), reduce the number of feral hogs in their territory. Mountain Lions feed on deer, javelina, porcupine and other small mammals and in areas with feral hogs they have also been effective in reducing the number of hogs. Mountain Lions were shown to hunt all ages and sexes of hogs.

Improve the quality of your deer –

Deer is the main food item for mountain lions. Lions will go after the easier kill and will hunt the weaker and smaller deer more often than larger, faster and healthier deer. In that way mountain lions improve the quality of your deer, leaving behind the bigger, healthier males to mate with the faster, healthier females. As a result, the quality of your deer population will greatly improve.

Reduce coyote and bobcat numbers –

Predators compete with each other for food. Mountain lions, being larger and stronger, have shown to kill coyotes at kill sites. Mountain lions also drive coyotes and bobcats away from potential food. Since the eradication of wolves in Texas, the coyote population has increased immensely because of lack of competing predators; but in areas where Mountain Lions are left to reside and defend, coyote numbers are much reduced.

Reduce the number of Mountain lions on your land –

Landowners are often worried that “if I don’t kill the lions they will overpopulate.” This is a mistake. Unlike animals such as deer or cattle that must be hunted or slaughtered to reduce their numbers, predators like Mountain Lions are “self-regulators,” which means that a resident adult (male or female) will kill other lions entering his/her territory.

On the other hand, if you keep killing the lions that are trying to establish a territory on your land, the empty territory will attract new, young lions, looking for a territory of their own. Without a resident adult to kill them or drive them away, they will stay, and you will end up with more lions until one will establish dominance over the others.

How many Mountain Lions should I expect on my land?

Male mountain Lions occupy an area of ~ 25,000 – 51,000 acres and females occupy an area of ~ 13,000 – 19,000 acres. Males and females overlap in their territories and sometimes related females (mother, daughters, and sisters) will share portions of their territory.